Now That I've Found You
by leogal063
Summary: "Me marry you? In what universe?" Five actually. Five universes where Zane Donovan married Jo Lupo.
1. High school Sweethearts

_AN: I lied. While this is five one-shots of AU! Jo and Zane's, it's not actually about their weddings because I thought five weddings would be boring. It does have the proposal, but the majority is rather a glimpse into the world of this particular Jo and Zane. I call this one high school sweethearts, but in reality (of my head) they aren't dating and only Jo is in high school. I wanted to give enough information so the reader would understand this world, but not the entire story. Please let me know if you were confused (i.e- I didn't give enough world-backstory) and I'll try to fix it for the next chapter. Though somehow Zane became a mixture of Sawyer from LOST and Han Solo from Star Wars. I don't know how that happened, it wasn't there in the first draft. And while I know Jo is a little OOC, she is also seventeen. People at seventeen aren't the same as they are in their late-20's, but I hope she's still recognizable.  
><em>

_Also, the beginning teaser format is stolen from Twilight *headdesk* because my sister said I needed a way to tie the main story and the proposal together. Considering the Meyer stole grammar and traumatized it beyond recognition, I don't feel all that bad in borrowing her format._

_Disclaimer: If I owned Eureka, there would be more pointless shirtless scenes. I also don't own the title of this story, Found You by Ross Copperman or the title of this chapter, Everyday by Buddy Holly._

* * *

><p>High school Sweethearts.<p>

_He asks her to marry him the day she graduates from West Point. He figures since he knows he could never leave she-who-must-not-be-poked, he might as well marry her._

* * *

><p>"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Zane paused, one hand poised to turn the doorknob. Seconds passed by. "Just because you're not moving doesn't mean I can't see you." Zane glared over his shoulder at the bane of his existence. Jo stood at the bottom of the staircase, arms crossed and lips tightened with a disapproving look on her face. Even with bed head, wearing lady bug pyjama pants and a ratty t-shirt emblazoned with a faded Elmo, She-Ra still looks intimidating. "My dad's going to be pissed when he finds out."<p>

"Well, I won't be here when he does!" He exclaimed.

Jo narrowed her eyes at him. Frak. All his planning was currently circling the drain due to one pint-size fury. He shifted his bag to his other hand as he turned to face her.

"Look, I'm nineteen. I don't have to be here if I don't want to be. And I don't. So I'm leaving." He turned away from her, hoping to at least get the door open before she started screaming for her precious papa.

"Running away."

He spun around quickly to face her. "What?"

She was about to respond when a cough comes from Colonel Lupo's bedroom. They both froze. '_Please don't wake up, please don't wake up._' he silently chanted. The only sound in the darkened house is the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room. After a moment Zane allows himself to breathe. He began again, this time making sure to keep his voice low.

"I'm not running away." He said.

Jo gave him a sceptical look and sat down on the bottom step as if his explanation was so tiresome that it sapped her strength to stand. He straightened his back and jut his chin out.

"I'm leaving."

She scoffed. "Same difference."

"No it's – " He stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She can be so damn irritating. Just because he was living in her house doesn't mean she had the right to butt into his business. Without opening his eyes he said, "Go back to bed Jo." He knows it's a long shot but maybe, just maybe, she'll take the hint and leave him alone. He really didn't understand this. She was always complaining about how he left his crap everywhere and his nerdy tendencies. Frankly, he would have expected her to throw a parade instead of a fit. He waited a moment, then opened one eye. Jo hadn't moved one inch.

"No." she said.

He sighed and let his bag fall onto the floor. "Why not?" He knew he sounded whiny but he's so tired of her being the self-appointed fun police. She straightened her back and folded her hands in her lap. Crap. He'd recognize her lecture pose anywhere. He could try and divert the conversation, but he knew from experience it would be easier to just to let her ramble on so she'd feel she had done something. Still, he really hated her lectures. She opened her mouth to begin and he mentally steeled himself from banging his head against the wall.

"I'm not going to let you leave because a) I'm not going to let you throw away a great opportunity at Global just because your pride is hurt."

"What!" He snapped. While the situation at Global was one of the reasons he was leaving, it wasn't the only one. And his pride wasn't hurt! Where did she come up with these ideas?

She gave him a 'shut up' look before continuing. "and b) my dad took a chance on you and I'm not going to let you make him look like an idiot for doing that. So stay." Silence fell again as she finished, clearly under the assumption that this little speech would win him over and make her the victor. Fat chance. He would rather sit through team building in the workplace seminar than let Jo win. He stalked closer to her but stopped just out of hitting range (he learned this valuable lesson soon after moving in with the Lupos).

"First off, my pride isn't hurt." Jo rolled her eyes. Really? Rolled eyes? His blood boiled.

"What. The hell. Do you know?" he seethed.

Jo gazed calmly at him. "Well, I know you did get in trouble – "

"Trouble!" Zane said as loudly as he dared in the quiet house. "I didn't get a parking ticket Jo, I got yelled at by the Director of GD, the Military Overseer of GD and the Secretary of Defence! I got raked over the coals today and you're acting like it's no big deal!" She at least had the decency to look less certain of herself. Screw hitting distance. He moved closer, braced his hand on the banister and bent down until his eyes met hers. He was so close that when he let out a heavy breath he could see a lock of hair move. He gritted his teeth. "I hate being the kid who everyone expects to screw up. I hate that everyone knows my business. I hate this small town, I hate the expectations, I hate the crazy scientists who nearly destroy the West Coast at least once a week, I hate everything about this town, right down to the very last molecule. No one wants me here, they all think I 'don't have the maturity of the respect to be allowed such a prestigious position' and remind me Every. Damn. Day." Jo wilted underneath his gaze. Good. He wanted to rip those rose-coloured glasses off her and make her see that his life was no picnic. For once he just wanted to be left alone, was that so much to ask? Jo ducked her head and started to twist her shirt around her finger. "And trust me, your dad's reputation is not going to be ruined by me leaving. Hell, it'll probably help it. And even if he did get flak, I. Don't. Care."

He knew that he sounded callow; he just couldn't _take_ it anymore. He glared at the top of her head, waiting to see if she was going to retaliate. Nothing happened. He figured it was time to leave, stalked over to his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He paused for a moment, then risked a look back. Jo had pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Sitting like that he suddenly remembered how young she actually was. Sometimes, when she's yelling at him or stomping around the house or beating people up or just generally being annoying he forgets that she's only seventeen, not even out of high school. She looked so defeated and he could feel his anger being replaced by guilt. To be honest, this wasn't her fault. She just happened to be an innocent bystander that got in his way. Her hair obscured her face as she stared blankly at her feet. Frell, this wasn't supposed to happen. He scuffed the toe of his shoe against the hardwood floor. "Why do you care so much anyways? You're always telling me what a pain in the ass I am." Some of that uncomfortable feeling in his chest goes away as Jo's eyes light with that familiar fire.

"Because! Because I know you can do so much better! You have so much potential, yet you're content just to throw it all away." God, he hated her you can do better, try harder, rah-rah-rah speech. She breathes heavy for a moment before she ducked her head again. "Plus, I thought we were friends."

What the hell did them being friends have to do with this? He scratched the back of his neck and then let his hand drop to his leg with a smack.

"This has nothing to do with us. I just can't stay here anymore." He paused for a moment. Eh, what the hell. Even if she got mad at him it might snap her out of her funk. "Self-centered much Jo? Not everything is about you." He waited for a response, but Jo began to pick at her toenail polish instead.

"I'll send you a postcard." Again, nothing. He can feel the beginnings of a Jo-induced stress headache starting up again. Why is he even explaining himself to her? He can do whatever the hell he wants.

"Listen Jo, I'm leaving – "

"Running away."

"whether you like it or not. So...bye." He moved over to give her a hug, partly because a small part of him will miss Bunnie the Rabbot and partly because a large part of him knows she disliked hugging, especially when she was stressed. She slapped his hand away as expected.

"People who would rather run away than stay and fight to show people they can be a better person don't deserve hugs." She glared up at him with a face that was an 8 on the Jo-Lupo-Is-Pissed scale, between your-murder-will-be-quick-and-somewhat-painless and your-murder-will-be-long-and-bloody. (Ten was if-Jo-was-a-volcano-you-need-to-start-looking-for-a-virgin-to-sacrifice-NOW. He only saw it once. He still has nightmares.)

He reached out and gave a lock of her hair a sharp tug before she could stop him. "Bye Jo-Jo." he said softly.

Her face fell to a 3 then rose quickly to a 9 in rapid succession. He grabbed his bag and was out the door before she could sound the alarm. As he shut the door, Zane let out a long breath and watched as his misty breath trailed skywards. Dren, it was colder than he had thought it would be. Even though summer was on its way, the nights still carried the bite of winter. He burrowed into his coat as he rushed towards his bike. Right before he started the engine he took a quick glance behind him at the place he lived at for almost a year. He was surprised to see Jo in the living room window, less surprised at the upset look on her face. He raised a hand in farewell but she simply glared at him. Zane dropped his hand. Whatever. She was probably going to tell her dad the minute he left so why should he say goodbye? He turned the engine, pulled out of the driveway and drove into the night.

Zane drove as fast as he dared until he came to the sign marking the town limits. Here he pulled to the side of the road and cut the engine. He sat on his bike and studied the '_Thank You for visiting Eureka_' sign. It was your regular generic sign, nothing about it giving away the 'uniqueness' of the town. Zane hated the sign. The town had a meeting over that sign, a frakken two and a half hour meeting over the height, colour and typeface of a _sign_. He had been forced to go to it because Colonel Lupo felt it was their civic duty to attend. Plus, the Colonel was never one to pass up an event with free food. He hated small towns. He didn't need any of this.

Still.

Eureka wasn't all bad. Even though he was always the low man on the totem pole, he did kinda like working at Global. He got to see stuff that science fiction authors hadn't even thought up yet come to life, even got to help out every now and again. And yes, he would admit (to himself, never to her) that his pride was a little hurt. He hadn't _meant_ to cause a stage 4 meltdown yet everyone kept acting like he had been planning it for months.

And the Lupos. The Colonel had stuck his neck out for him time and again. Zane had seen the shocked looks on everyone's face when the Colonel had volunteered to take responsibility for him. No one had ever down that before. While his parents had stuck up for him before, they _had_ too, they were his parents. No one had ever volunteered to take him on before. Of course, he had never asked to be someone else's responsibility. He wasn't a dog or something.

Zane let his head fall forward, a thunk filling the night as his helmet collided with the handlebars.

Jo.

He knew that no matter what he did, even if he got his act together and became a world famous scientist, president or supervillian, even if he grovelled for her forgiveness with tickets to the ballet or some chick flick shit, she was never going to forgive him. If he wasn't at the Lupos' in the morning it was over between them. Jo could hold a grudge like no one else. Away from the suffocating town, he could admit that losing her friendship would suck. She was annoying with a capital B, but she was also perhaps the only person he liked in Eureka. She was feisty and smart and no matter how much he practised he knew he'd never be able to beat her in Duck Hunt. No more fights over the bathroom, no more daring each other to eat the most revolting thing the other could think of, no more arguments over who would win in a fight, a caveman or an astronaut (technology beat brute force any day), no more movie nights, no more teasing her over her secret girly side. All of that would be gone.

But was one pint-size pest's friendship really worth his own happiness?

He drummed his fingers on the seat. Even in the pale moonlight he could see where Jo had scratched her name in the paint. The corner of his mouth lifted as he remembered the day she had made him teach her how to ride his bike*, the pleading wide-eyed look that eventually wore him down, her determination to get it exactly right, her shriek when she accidentally pushed too hard on the accelerator, her excited glee when she managed to get the bike going (granted, 20 miles in a circle), the way she had tried to cover for him when the Colonel found out. He traced one finger over her signature, his finger catching every nick and grove. She'd get over it, right?

"Damn it."

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><p>Zane stumbled bleary eyed into the kitchen and squinted in the early morning light. He felt like the walking dead, an unfortunate side effect to only getting about four hours of sleep. He would have spent that day in bed but he knew the Colonel wouldn't let him. Plus, Zane could smell coffee. Coffee was good. He blinked several times in the doorway before finally getting his eyes to focus. The Colonel sat at the kitchen table, newspaper open in front of him while Jo was stirring something at the stove, her back to the doorway. He paused and shifted uncomfortably as he considered what to do. He hadn't seen Jo when he'd come back so he had no idea what she was feeling towards him. On one hand, she hadn't been happy with him last night. But on the other, he had come back. He should be okay right? After all, she hadn't told her dad on him.<p>

Wait.

Why hadn't she told her dad? After he left, she should have run straight upstairs to her dad, but no one had been up when he got back and the Colonel wasn't acting like he usually did when he was angry at Zane. He narrowed his eyes at the humming girl at the stove. She tattled on him all the time, so what was stopping her now? This was so much worse than the time he tried to build a mini hovercraft from appliances around the house, yet she had apparently just gone to bed last night.

Unless...

Could the Lupos' be planning a surprise attack aimed to beat him into submission? Jo was a devious one and she had to learn it from somewhere. They were going to lull him into a false sense of security before they jumped him, weren't they. Well, he was on to them. No one pulled a fast one on Zane Donovan!

He carefully slid back from the doorway, intending to barricade himself in his bedroom and plan his next move when he was attacked from behind. Boris, the 72 pound German Shepherd former bomb sniffing now Lupo family pet with narcolepsy and slight neurotic issues, decided at that point that he should give Zane a morning greeting which involved taking a running leap, tackling him and barking madly in his ear.

"Boris, stop, down, gah, go away, stop it, down, down, get down you stupid animal!" Zane put his hands in front of his face and pushed the muzzle of the rotten animal away as best he could. Which didn't work out so well since Boris was determined to lick his face off. Stupid dog.

"Boris, giù!" The Colonel snapped his fingers and Boris immediately dropped to the floor. He panted happily and Zane reached out to ruffle the fur on Boris' head. He knew that if he didn't, Boris would become upset and follow him around until Zane did. That's right, he lived with a crazy teenage girl, a dictator Colonel and a dog with issues.

His life sucked.

Jo turned from the stove and smiled brightly when their gazes met. "Good morning Zane." She chirped.

"Morning." He replied warily. She didn't seem angry. Still, it was Jo.

Jo turned back to the stove and the Colonel ruffled the pages of his newspaper. Zane moved cautiously into the kitchen, settled himself into his chair, poured himself a cup of coffee and began stirring in some milk and sugar, all the while eyeing the Lupos very carefully.

"So I was talking – " the Colonel paused as Zane's spoon clattered against the side of his mug. Zane immediately put on a blank face as if the Colonel sudden desire for a conversation hadn't made his heart try to jump of out his chest. The Colonel gave him a puzzled look before continuing. "to Henry and he says he wont have the car fixed until at least Thursday. He has to order a part. We're going to have to use a rental until then."

"That sucks." Jo replied as she sent a spoon clattering into the sink. "Breakfast will be ready in a minute."

Zane eyed the stove before turning to the Colonel. The Colonel had narrowed his eyes, no doubt already picking up on the fact Zane was sweating bullets. Zane needed to change the subject _fast_. He jerked his head in the direction of Jo. "Is it safe?" Jo's adventures in the kitchen either went very good or very bad. There was no middle. The Colonel's composure slipped a little as he gave a side glance to his daughter.

"Well, she's almost done and so far nothing's been burnt, broken, kicked, dropped, thrown or yelled at, so I think we're okay." he said in a quiet voice. Zane's agreement 'huh' turned into a yawn halfway through and he blinked several times in an effort to clear his eyes. The frown was back on the Colonel's face. "What time did you go to bed last night?"

Zane scrambled for an excuse. "Late. I was reading Dune." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jo turn slightly to look at them.

The Colonel looked no less convinced. He studied Zane for a moment, his eyebrows drawn over his forehead as he most likely considered if he really wanted to know what Zane had done. Zane kept his face impassive even though his mind was whirling. The Colonel wasn't much for beating around the bush. If Zane was in trouble, he would know by now. If the Colonel didn't know, that meant that Jo hadn't told him anything. But why would she have told her dad? The Colonel sighed and rolled his eyes, clearly having decided that it wasn't worth the effort.

"Well, just don't be late. You can't afford it. You have a lot of people to grovel to today." The Colonel said.

Zane grunted in reply.

"Breakfast is ready." Jo placed a bowl on the table with a loud thump. Zane peered into it. Breakfast looked like mush.

"What is it?"

"Oatmeal. You can put honey, brown sugar or berries on it." She beamed at him, obviously proud at having made a meal with no major catastrophe. Zane scowled at the bowl. He hated oatmeal. Who in their right mind liked oatmeal? Even the name sounded stupid. Oatmeal. Maybe she was still angry at him.

"Zane." The Colonel gave him a pointed look. "Josie's made us breakfast. Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

Jo smiled at her father. "Don't worry Papa, I'd just bite back." The Colonel smiled at her and bumped her chin with his fist.

"Cheeky monkey."

Zane dumped a spoonful of oatmeal into his bowl to distract himself from the sickening _Father Knows Best_ scene in front of him. Why was he back in this hell hole again?

The morning proceeded like any other morning with the Colonel reading his New York Times, Jo reading the _Eureka Sidereus Nuncius_**, and Zane staring blankly at the wall as he waited for the caffeine to kick in. A movement caught Zane's eye and he turned to look. Boris had straightened up and was staring intently at something outside of the window. The dog froze for a moment, his entire body quivering in anticipation, before he barked loudly at something outside the window, turned tail and ran underneath the breakfast table like a bat out of hell. Both Lupos jumped and the Colonel's coffee splashed out of his mug and onto his shirt.

"Damn it Boris!" The Colonel yelled. He glared at the blossoming coffee on the front of his shirt. He grabbed a napkin and tried to mop it up.

"Blot Papa, don't smear." Jo said.

The Colonel threw his napkin down in disgust. "It doesn't matter, I have to change it anyways." He stalked out of the kitchen muttering something that sounded like 'stupid dog.' Or 'lupid fog'. Zane suspected the former.

Zane leaned in his chair to look under the table and was met with a pair of mournful eyes. Boris whimpered and thumped his tail against the floor.

"Poor puppy." Jo said. "He just hasn't been the same since we gave away Natasha."

Zane looked at Jo. "What do you mean, he was terrified of her."

Jo shrugged and reached down to scratch Boris' head. "Still, I bet he misses her."

"I doubt it. She was a pain." He sat back in his chair and missed Jo's fingers still in Boris' fur. Her eyes were troubled as she watched him settle back in his chair. Zane dug his spoon into his oatmeal and was about to lift it when a small hand reached across the table and closed around his wrist. He paused. Everything seemed to stop for a brief moment.

"I'm glad you stayed."

Zane dragged his eyes from the bowl to her face. A small smile played at her lips and a faint blush coloured her cheeks.

"Why," Zane's tongue darted out to wet his lips. "Why didn't you tell your dad?"

Jo dropped her gaze to the table. "I didn't want you to stay because you had to. If I told my dad he'd make you stay. I just." Jo sighed and Zane breathed in. "Wanted you to _want_ to stay, you know." Strangely, Zane thought he did.

"Why did you stay?" She looked at him with those big brown eyes of hers, her bottom lip snagged between her teeth. He became acutely aware that she was still holding his wrist.

"I may have overreacted. Plus, where can I play out my mad scientist fantasies and get paid for it?" He hoped that answer would satisfy her because telling her he didn't want to upset her? Not happening.

"I'm glad you stayed." She gently squeezed his wrist and smiled.

He tried to swallow but found his mouth strangely dry. He struggled for the right words before settling on "I know."

She rolled her eyes but gave a small laugh. He felt an answering smile creep over his face when the sound of water flowing through the pipes broke the silence. Zane quickly realized that the Colonel would not be happy with this scene. Jo seemed to realize this too because she pulled her hand away and folded them in her lap. He studied the wall just over Jo's shoulder as the silence became overwhelming.

"I have to admit, I'm a little upset you came back." Jo's voice broke the silence. He looked over at her sitting primly in her chair, a serious expression on her face but with a teasing glint in her eyes. Zane sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, curious as to where this was going.

"And why is that?" He stretched out a foot and began to rub Boris' back.

"You would have provided the perfect distraction to keep my dad from being upset when he found out that Tor wants to take me to prom." Zane froze. He felt like he had been dipped in liquid nitrogen.

"What?"

Jo shrugged and began to fiddle with her spoon, though a radiant smile threatening to break across her face. "Yeah, he asked me if I wanted to go with him. I know prom is silly and I'm a woman of the 20th century who doesn't need a man to take her somewhere, but it's nice, you know. To be asked."

"But." he sputtered. "I thought you said it was over-hyped. I thought we were going to watch Carrie and eat nachos. And who the frak is Tor?"

Her happy face dropped and was replaced by a confused one, then an angry one, then a resigned _'you're an idiot'_.

"Tor." she said slowly as if speaking to a small child. "Victor Malone." He ran through the list of people whose names he'd bothered learning. Nope. "The guy I've been seeing for two months?"

What?

How the hell did he miss that? He knew she was going out more but frankly – no, he hadn't really thought about it. They didn't really interact with each other outside of the house unless they were both forced to attend some sort of Eureka/G.D. event by the Colonel, what with him working at Global and her being in high school. The thought that he hadn't noticed this new event wasn't a happy one. He's a scientist for Lee's sake, he's supposed to know if some guy is touching and kissing – .

There's a strange clenching in his stomach and he frowned at his oatmeal. He really hoped she hadn't given them food poisoning. Again.

"Hey Zane, if it bothers you so much we'll do that some other night." She reached over to grab his wrist again but he pulled away before she could. Jo looked startled, her big brown eyes opened wide and her head tilted slightly to the side. Now he was just irritated.

"Zane." she said.

"It's fine, I don't care. Why would I, I was only going to do it because you begged me to." He took a swig of his now luke-warm coffee. Like he cared anyways, he's a super genius. Super geniuses don't care about prom or stupid boys with stupid names. Tor.

The Colonel entered the kitchen and sat down in his seat. He looked at Zane's plate then at him. "Finish your breakfast Zane, you've got grovelling to do." He said in a no-nonsense voice.

Zane stared sourly at his bowl. "I'm not hungry."

"Zane, you eat what's on your plate."

"Papa, he doesn't have to." Jo interjected.

"Yes he does. I'm not going to have him stuffing his face with junk food two hours from now just because he wants to be difficult."

"He's not a child Papa. If he doesn't want to eat it he doesn't have to." Jo reached over for his bowl but Zane swatted her hand away. "What are you doing?" She reached for his bowl again. Zane grabbed the bowl and pulled it up to his mouth. He shoved a spoonful into his mouth and tried to swallow. The oatmeal stuck in his throat but he eventually got it down. He gave her a triumphant look. She wasn't the boss of him, he'd show her.

"I'm eating it, is that alright with your highnessness?" Jo narrowed her eyes before sighing and digging into her own bowl. The clenching feeling was still in the pit of his stomach. It would serve her right if he did get food poisoning. He waited until the Lupos were busy with their breakfast before he dropped some oatmeal on the floor. Boris immediately licked it up and gazed at Zane as if he were a god. Hm. Boris usually turned his nose up at Jo's worse concoctions, so maybe...nah. Boris was an idiot, what did he know?

* * *

><p><em>He asks her to marry him the day she graduates from West Point. He figures since he knows he could never leave she-who-must-not-be-poked, he might as well marry her. He was going to wait until the day after so her day wouldn't become their day, but he apparently spends the day looking like he's either going to puke or pass out or some combination of the two. He had thought that asking the Colonel for permission or getting his grandmother's ring would be the hard part but neither compare to him actually facing the prospect of asking her.<em>

_After the fourth time of her asking him if he's okay and him croaking that he's "fine, good, cool, fine, good", the Colonel takes matters into his own hands and tells him to "ask her and put yourself out of your misery." Hearing that, Jo simply refuses to let it go, all stern glares and promises of no sex ever again, so he really has no choice but to propose. He pulls her into an empty corridor (he has no desire of humiliating himself in front of her family), blusters around for a few minutes before sinking to one knee, pulling out the ring and blurting out, "Marry me."_

_And waits._

_And waits some more._

_And waits so long that that his knee starts to hurt and people begin to notice. _

"_Jo, say something." He has no idea what to do. Girls were supposed to be happy when a guy proposes. It's just his luck that he falls in love with the one girl who looks at him like he's suddenly expressed a desire to sell all his worldly possessions and travel the world in a monkey suit. _

_Jo lets out a shaky breath. "Why?" she asks._

_Why? _Why?_ She wants to know _why?

"_Because." he says. She gets a cross look on her face and tries to pull her hand away. He tightens his grip and starts rattling of a list of becauses. Because she's beautiful. Because she doesn't want to change him. Because she can beat him in paintball. Because he loves her. Because even when he's annoyed with her he still wants her. Because he loves her smile. Because he loves making her smile. Because he loves her. Because he can't imagine being with someone else. Because he loves her. Because he wants her to be the mother of his children. Oh, did he mention he loves her? Because he does._

_She bites her lip hard before taking a deep breath and starting her own list. They're too young. She's going away. They never talked about it. How does he know what he wants in five years? How does she know what she wants in five years? He's super smart and she's not. Why would he want to be married to someone who can kick his ass? They're too young. Most marriages fall apart. Also, they're just too damn young. _

_He takes a deep breath as some of the panic subsides. She's not saying no because she doesn't love him, she's just overreacting like always. He needs her to do, not think. He places the box on the floor and captures both hands. "Jo." he says. "Say no if you don't want to be with me, not because you're scared."_

_She scoffs but he knows he's right. _

"_Do you want to be with me?"_

"_Yes!" _

"_Then why not? My feelings aren't going to change if we wait five minutes or five years. I've loved you from quite possibly the first moment you put chilli powder in my coffee for leaving the toilet seat up." He gets a small laugh and he knows, he _knows_, he's winning. "50 years from now I still see us arguing over whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher. I see a dozen monster children who'll try to take over the world but we'll love them anyways because they're _ours_. I want us and I know you want us too." He gives a sharp tug to their intertwined hands. She looks at him, startled, and he smiles before bringing her hands to his lips and pressing a kiss on her knuckles. "Marry me Jo-Jo." He whispers._

_She takes a shuddering breath and closes her eyes tightly. He can see the gears turning in her head, going over every possible scenario and outcome. For a non-scientist she can be very meticulous. He waits with baited breath for a verdict. She finally opens her eyes, sinks to her knees, wraps her arms around his neck and mutters, "You're such an idiot." He buries his face in her hair and holds her tight. _

"_Is that a yes?" For one paralyzing moment she doesn't say anything. Then he _feels_ rather than hears her familiar long-suffering sigh (it really is ridiculous that he wants to hear that sound for the rest of his life). She presses a kiss onto his forehead._

"_Yes."_

* * *

><p>* For Sydnew. One way or another, she's getting that bike.<p>

** Sidereus Nuncius (roughly translated as Sidereal Messanger) is a short treatise by Galileo Galilei. It was the first scientific treatise based on observations made through a telescope.

_Chapter Two: FBI Jo and on parole/reluctant consult Zane.  
><em>


	2. FBI Jo and Parolee Zane

_AN: So certain people have been asking for this to be updated (okay, like three. Four if you count my sister, but who really does?) I'm sorry that this took so long, but between my mom needing the computer for work, my brother needing it for school and my starting of my summer job, I haven't had enough time to work on this. Plus I'm not too happy with the ending so that meant that I've spent a lot of time wondering how to fix it, mostly while dealing with hyperactive 3-5 year olds (I may not be the best camp counselor, but no one has gotten seriously hurt on my watch *knocks on wood*). I don't think it's too great and much too long, but that's simply b/c I have an entire story for this universe and wrote far too much. Anyways, I hope you enjoy._

_Disclaimer - If I owned Eureka I wouldn't have to watch the new episodes on-line b/c Syfy won't show it in Canada yet. *silently seethes*_

* * *

><p>I don't have a choice but I still choose you - (Poison and Wine) The Civil Wars.<p>

_He proposes to her while bleeding from a gunshot wound. She's not sure what pisses her off more – that he got shot or he felt it would be a good time to propose._

* * *

><p>Jo sat in the driver seat of her car trying to will herself the courage needed to get out. The problem was she knew if she got out of the car she'd have to walk to the elevator. If she walked to the elevator she'd have to get in. If she got in she'd have to stop at Zane's floor. If she stopped at Zane's floor she'd have to go to his apartment. If she went to his apartment she'd find out that he wasn't there. And if he wasn't there she was in serious shit. Hence the not getting out of the car thing. It was very much a 'give a mouse a cookie' scenario.<p>

She knew he wouldn't be there. Zane had spent much of his time drifting from one experience to another, accountable to no one but his mother. When the FBI was finally able to sink their claws into him and get enough evidence to convict, they decided to entice Zane with the phrase 'if you can't beat them, join them' and offered him the chance to have his sentence commuted to working with the FBI. Most people would be thrilled at the chance to escape jail and toe the line until their sentence was finished. Not Zane. Zane viewed his deal with the FBI as one with the devil. Rather than work with what he had, he spent his time making everyone around him miserable. He hacked into the main system and read classified files, pulled pranks, treated everyone with a barely concealed lack of respect, only did his work when he felt like it, mouthed off to superiors, and took off to the far reaches of the earth whenever he got the chance. He was defiant, egotistical, narcissistic, manipulative, self-serving and usually right. He may be the best hacker the FBI had ever seen but many people (especially the unlucky agents who had the horrible job of trying to contain Zane) felt he was more trouble than he was worth. In his first nine months, Zane had driven off six agents with his antics. (One only lasted two weeks). Being Zane Donovan's handler had turned from working in partnership with a valuable specialist to babysitting a cranky five year old.

'_You can do this.'_ Jo told herself. _'Just go upstairs, confirm he isn't in his apartment and tell the director what you did and why you did it and then he'll get mad at you for once again botching an assignment and proving your are too young and inexperienced to even handle a glorified babysitting position and then you'll have to quit and move back in with your father and then you'll never leave and become an old maid who wear sweaters that smell like moth balls and yells at the kids on the block and then you'll die surrounded by your cats who will eat your decomposing body because no one will know to look for you!" _Dark spots began to form in Jo's vision as she began to hyperventilate. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. No, this was not happening; she was not going to have a panic attack in a parking garage. Breathe! In 1, 2, 3, out 1, 2, 3, in 1, 2, 3, out 1, 2, 3.

As Jo's breathing began to stabilize she eyed the pastry box that sat innocently on the passenger seat. They weren't supposed to be eaten now, but…oh what the hell. She quickly pried open the lid and shoved a cannoli in her mouth. She closed her eyes and sighed in contentment as she bit down. She doubted there was a single problem that couldn't be solved by sugar.

Except maybe this one.

As Zane Donovan's handler, she had one job – make sure Zane did his job quickly and with as minimal damage as possible. That was often easier said than done, especially when he had enough of 'dancing to the whims of a government that strips its citizens of their civil liberties' and took off. Her entire life was put on hold as she focused all her attention on tracking him down, following him from city to city until she managed to catch up with him and drag him back. Nothing, not bribing, not yelling, not threats of going back to prison, not round the clock detail could stop Zane from leaving once he had made up his mind. So when she had realized that he was going to leave again, instead of doing what was excepted of her by tightening the 'noose' around his neck, in what was possibly the worst mistake since she was a teenager and tried an at-home perm, against ever fibre of her being that screamed for her to abort, she put plan B into motion.

She let him go.

Stupid. Idiot. Dumber than a pile of rocks. They were all adjectives that could describe her. Plan B was simple – let Zane run, but only for a day. She had told him to be back on Thursday morning and they would pretend that his little trip never happened. She would say that he was sick and she had spent the day with him (a policy implemented by Agent #3 when Zane faked a positive test for pneumonia and was found in Burlington, Vermont nine days later). After all, he was going to run anyways, what did she have to lose? (Her job, her career, her hard-earned respect, just to name a few.) But now he had no reason to come back and she was going to have to explain her stupid, idiotic, dumber than a pile of rocks plan to her superiors.

Nope, sugar wasn't going to fix this.

Jo leaned her head back against the head rest. Okay, she could do this. She quickly threw open the door and scrambled out into the parking lot. The sound of her heels clicking against the concrete floor echoed in the parking garage as she hurried to the elevators. The doors slid open and as Jo stepped inside her stomach twisted in anxiety at the thought of unemployment. As the elevator rose she began to mentally prepare her 'please don't fire me' speech.

'_You see sir, considering the fact that Mr. Donovan has managed to escape even while wearing an ankle monitor or with round the clock detail, I decided to try something new. If you remember correctly sir, my ability to adjust to a situation and well-honed tracking skills_ _have been useful on many cases, especially when dealing with Donovan. _(That part was a little sketchy. She hadn't gotten this position because she amazed anyone with her talents, but rather because Agent #6 had had enough of Zane and had been more than happy to pass him off to an inexperienced agent, coupled with the fact that no one else wanted the job.) _I admit my mistake and will immediately – ' _A woman with too much Botox and wearing more than enough makeup walked into the elevator and pushed her way into a spot. Jo grimaced and moved over as the woman's perfume began to overwhelm the small space. Jo checked the floor indicator. Only two more to go. The elevator lurched as it started up again. Only two more. Jo could feel her anxiety level begin to rise again. _'Breathe.'_ She reminded herself. She wasn't going to be fired. Considering that at five months she held the record for being the agent to work the longest with Donovan, they wouldn't hold one slip up against her. Five long months of innuendo's and pranks and digging her nails into her palm to stop herself from killing him, but five months was still five months. Though whether it was because she was that good or because of her sheer determination to not screw up another assignment was anyone's guess. (That was a lie, it was the later. No one was that good.)

Far too soon the elevator door opened with a ping and Jo had to peel herself from the wall and into the hallway. She watched with dismay as the door skid shut behind her, then turned her gaze to the endless hallway in front of her. She straightened her shoulders and marched forward. This was it, the point of no return. She couldn't back out now; she had to face the consequences of her actions. (Though option B, which was run down eight flights of stairs and eat her box of refined sugar under the covers while waiting for word of the termination of her career was tempting, Jo Lupo did not run from her problems, especially in heels. Unless said problem was aunts trying to set her up with random boys. Then all bets were off.) She stopped abruptly in front of Zane's door. The door looked no different from any of the others. It gave no hint that behind the varnished wood and brass fixture lived a man (and she used that term lightly) who would gleefully topple a government just to prove he could. The light glinted off the brass '815' as she knocked firmly on the door. Nothing happened. She sighed in disappointment as that last sliver of hope that there was something good in that bastard died. She dug her phone out of her pocket and pressed the speed dial for Zane's superintendent. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"_Hello."_

"Hey." Jo's head shot up. The door had opened, revealing Zane's empty hallway, yet no one was there. A part of her was convinced that the voice she heard was simply her losing her mind. Another part was wondering how the open door worked into her hallucination.

"_Hello."_

"Uh." Jo said.

"_Hello.__"_

"Sorry, wrong number." Jo said quickly as she shut her phone. She stared in shock at the scene in front of her. The door was open. The door was open and Zane must have been the one to do it. The front door was open and Zane must have been the one to do it because he had kept his end of the bargain. Jo could feel her brain short-circuiting as it tried to process this information. Once again he had thrown her for a loop by turning left when she had predicted he would go right. God, she hated him.

Zane reappeared in the doorway. He looked the same as he did every morning, messenger bag slung across his chest, magazine under one arm and two re-useable coffee cups in one hand. He gave her a nod as he locked the door, completely oblivious to what he had done to her. Jo didn't know how she was supposed to feel. On one hand, she was no longer in trouble of being fired. On the other, she really hated when he took the pieces of her carefully thought out plan and threw them to the wind. She alternated between elation and irritation several times in the time span it took him to shove his keys in his bag and turn to her.

"Morning." He said, offering one cup to her like he did every morning. Morning? Seriously? Jo took the cup out of reflex, wrapping her fingers around the warm plastic as she tried to figure out what to do next. Should she question this development or just accept it as something that came from having to deal with Zane Donovan? God he was infuriating. Zane started down the hallway, no doubt assuming she'd follow. He walked a few steps before he paused and looked back at her.

"Coming?" he said.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Jo blurted out. "I mean, I told you to, but you never do, and I supposed to tell the director then and be eaten by cats!" Inner-Jo gave her a smart smack on the inside of her head. _'Idiot.' _Jo could feel her cheeks starting to burn in embarrassment.

Zane quirked an eyebrow upwards. "Do you drink?"

Mortified, Jo brushed past him and muttered "Move it."

The wait for the elevator was relatively quiet with Zane absorbed with his physics journal and Jo absorbed in not giving him any more ammunition to use against her. She was watching the numbers go down when Zane suddenly spoke.

"You didn't think I'd come back did you?" His voice was even, almost disinterested, but Jo knew better. She took a sip of her organic free-trade coffee to give her time to think of an answer that would satisfy him.

"There was always a possibility." She replied evenly.

"I thought so." Jo looked in confusion at Zane. He nodded to her chest. "You have powder on your shirt. Either you've been stress eating again or you've taken up crack. Either way it shows you're upset." Zane shrugged as the elevator doors opened. She scowled at his back as she followed him into the elevator, quickly rearranging her face into one of calm indifference before he noticed. Since he was entirely involved with his magazine, he didn't. Jo agitatedly wiped the incriminating evidence from her shirt. Stupid Zane and his stupid attention to detail. One would think his ability to notice things most people miss would make him very useful to any investigation. One might also think that her ability to put pieces together and terrify a suspect into confessing world make them incredibly work well together. One never had to explain to several members of homeland security why Zane felt the need to systematically point out how their current method of dealing with suspects was undermining the civil liberties America was founded on and making it no better than a military dictatorship. She doubted there was a single person who questioned her reluctance to have him interact with other people. Wait a minute. Jo's head shot up.

"Crack!" she shouted. Zane shrugged but she could see a small smile creep across his face.

"You seem very knowledgeable with drug terminology."

"What!" Jo sputtered. "I would never take drugs."

"You have been a little secretive lately. And you have been taking an awful lot of bathroom breaks." Even though Zane's head was bent over his magazine she had no doubt that his face was lit up like a Christmas tree. Unfortunately for her, the other people in the elevator didn't know that Zane's favourite hobby was making her life a living hell. They eyed her warily, no doubt taking her tired face as a sign that he was right.

"I'm not a drug addict." They looked no more convinced and one mother tugged her child closer to her. When the elevator opened onto the lobby most everyone rushed out of the car. Jo took the opportunity to lean over and hiss "You are a horrible human being." into Zane's ear. Zane's shoulders began to shake with silent laughter. She repressed the urge to break his nose for the rest of the ride. By the time they reached her car Jo was fuming. When Zane picked the pastry box from the passenger seat and peered into it with a mixture of curiosity and amusement Jo lost it.

"What the hell Donovan!" She shouted. Zane looked at her in shock, his big blue eyes wide and innocent. This only made her angrier; she stopped trusting that face one week in. "Why are you here? You never do a damn thing I tell you, whether it's stop talking or stay in the car, and now your Johnny be Good? I swear to God Donovan, if this is one of your schemes I will take you back to prison myself!"

Zane closed the lid with a snap. His face lost its jovial expression and became serious and angry in an instant. "What the hell Donovan?" he cried "What about what the hell Lupo? You're all 'Do your work Donovan. Do what you're told Donovan. Don't leave or I'll track you down Donovan.' Then suddenly it's 'See you on Thursday!'" Zane threw his hands in the air. "Last time I left, when you found me you slammed me against the wall and handcuffed me in front of a hundred people!"

"You tried to run!"

"I had tickets to a round table discussion on the EPR paradox! I wanted to go!"

"You could have asked!"

"You would have said no, you always say no!"

They both fell silent and Jo dropped her gaze. She studied the roof of her car, incredibly uncomfortably with the turn the morning had taken. For the first time she suddenly felt sorry for Zane. Yes, he had gone into this willingly, but how great could it be if she was constantly controlling his every move? Zane had done great work, even his best work, on their last case, spending a month tracking down enough evidence to convict their guy on charges of extortion, prostitution, and child trafficking, only to watch as those in charge let Ivanovich walk free if he state's evidence. She agreed with him, it wasn't fair. Maybe in her own twisted mind, letting him go was her way of trying to make it up to him. She lifted her head only to meet his piercing look. He wasn't going this drop without an answer, but the answer was complicated, messy. She still wasn't sure why she had done it but she figured he needed to know the reasoning behind it. He deserved that much. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. Here goes nothing.

"Do you remember the behaviour analysis we worked with on the Bordwell case?" Zane nodded slowly. She could almost hear the gears turning in his head. "She said…she said the reason why you were so oppositional, so prone to running, was because you felt trapped. You had no control over your situation and so you took control anyway you could. She said that if we learned to listen to you, to trust you, you'd stop causing chaos wherever you went." The woman also said there was repressed sexual attraction between the two of them so Jo was slightly sceptical of the woman's profiling abilities. Zane seemed to mull this over in his head for a moment, his dark brows furrowed over his face.

"Psychology's bull." Zane said, and with that climbed into the car. Jo rolled her eyes heavenwards before climbing in herself. She looked at him for a moment before turning the engine. She was pulling out into traffic when Zane spoke.

"Ivanovich wasn't your fault. What I said about you wasn't true." She glanced over at him. His eyes were fixed determinedly on the road in front, but he was drumming his fingers on the pastry box. She decided to take it; it was as close to an apology as she was going to get.

"He'll spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. Just because he'll be in the witness protection program doesn't mean he'll be safe. He'll never have one day of peace." Jo said. Zane nodded slowly. It wasn't what either of them wanted but at least it was something. "Thank you." Jo said softly. "For coming back. It means a lot." Zane gave a soft chuckle.

"If I didn't come back you'd hunt me down. Plus, I don't want to miss anymore of your outfits."

Jo furrowed her brow. All he ever saw her in was business suits. "What outfits?"

Zane smiled a cocky grin. "That dress you wore to get into Ivanovich's club? The red one?" Oh. Jo's checks burned as she remembered that dress. It was her slut dress, bought in a moment of peer-induced insanity. (Her best friend Eleanor decided at age 15 she was going to be Jo's personal shopper. At the time it had been nice to get out of her brothers' hand-me-down. Now? She had slut dresses.) "I mean, I knew you had a body – "

Jo mentally rolled her eyes. Great. Just what she needed, another round of suggestive comments. She swears his default behaviour is to flirt with any available female.

"Donovan."

"but I didn't think it was THAT good!"

"Dono_van_."

"The way that dress hugged your curves."

"Shut up."

"I didn't know your breasts could look so _round_."

"Donovan, I swear to God – "

"And your ass. _Damn_!"

"Knock. It. OFF!"

"Though where you kept your gun is where I want to know."

"_Donovan!_" Jo took her eyes off the road to fix him with her 'I will _end you_' glare. Unfortunately in the process of doing this she turned the wheel and served into the other lane. The car beside them honked loudly and she quickly jerked the car back into their lane. Zane laughed, clearly amused to have once again gotten under her skin. She tightened her fingers on the steering wheel as she imagined wringing his neck.

"I swear to God Donovan, one of these days I will kill you." she seethed. Why oh why did she volunteer for this? Zane merely flashed her with his cocky, self-assured grin.

"I look forward to that Jo-Jo." Jo focused on the road as she fantasized about beating his head against a solid surface. He never seemed fazed by any of her semi-serious threats against his well-being and that only made her angrier (and that nickname. She HATED that nickname. They were co-workers, not friends. She suspects that's why he loves it so much). Zane leaned forward to change the radio station, still chuckling to himself (stupid man-child with stupid boundary issues). Jo eyed him as an idea formed in her head. She wouldn't. She was above such petty stunts. She was calm. She was in control. She would never sink to his level.

She hit the brakes.

The car stopped but Zane rocketed forward, his head slamming against the dashboard.

"Ow! What the frak?" Zane cried. He rubbed his head in irritation as he glared at her. Jo calmly pressed on the gas, feeling much more relaxed.

"Squirrel." She said.

"Squirrel."

"Yes."

"On the road."

"Yes."

"That no other car stopped for."

Jo shrugged "I care about the well-being of all animals."

Zane shook his head and leaned back in his seat. He opened his magazine with a snap and popped a cannoli into his mouth.

"The day I get rid of you will be the happiest day of my life." Zane said.

"Right back atcha."

* * *

><p><em>He proposes to her while bleeding from a gunshot wound. She's not sure what pisses her off more – that he got shot or he felt it would be a good time to propose. Ever since he (finally) completed his sentence, he only consulted on cases that intrigued him, meaning he wasn't even supposed to be there. She was going to meet him at the hotel after she finished searching the office of a suspected arms dealer but a stubborn safe lock was giving her trouble. It's almost an hour after she wanted to leave when he shows up with his laptop and gets to work on cracking the security code. She's a little suspicious over his reluctance to tell her what their secret date is about, his determination to get this date started and his rather fancy attire (he considers any event where he is forced to wear a tie not worth the effort so the fact that he willingly dressed up is setting off more than one alarm bell). However, she's tired and irritable so the sooner she can get out of there and eat some real food the better. It was all going rather smoothly when they're surprised by the dealer and one of his lackeys, who were needless to say not amused to find the FBI poking around in their stuff and open fire.<em>

_When it's all said and done Zane's lying on the floor with a bullet lodged in his leg. (Of course it's Zane, he always likes being in the middle of things, can never stay in the damn car no matter how many times she threatens him). There's blood, lots of blood, and Jo's had enough first aid to know that Hollywood lies, that there is no good place to get shot, that if the bullet hit his femoral artery he'll bleed out in minutes. A million horrifying images race through her brain. Zane in a pool of blood, Zane in the morgue, her in black standing by his casket, his side of the bed empty forever, nonono, not Zane, anyone but Zane. Jo starts to hyperventilate and a buzzing sound increases until it's all she can hear. Jo's sure she knows what to do but she can't make herself move. She feels like she's watching the scene from outside the room or though a television screen and can't do anything to affect the events. She watches as Agent D'Alembert press his hands to Zane's wound. Zane turns his head and his eyes meet hers. He manages a small smile meant just for her. She dropped to her knees and begins to press her hands to his face, his neck, his chest, anything to confirm he's still alive. A deathly (oh God) pale Zane. A Zane whose beautiful, handsome, wonderful face was twisted in pain. She can't think of anything, her mind is flitting from one idea to another without actual taking the time to process them. She presses a quick kiss on his forehead before putting her hands on top of D'Almebert's and pressing down hard on the wound. (Oh God, there's a wound. At least it's in the leg, so no organs would have been hit, but there are arteries and blood and so much blood, under her hands, on the floor, on his clothes, Oh God please not him.) Her breath is coming out in shallow, gasping puffs of air. Zane groans and Jo pushes harder down on his wound (pressure, you need pressure, pressure's good, but no matter how hard she tries the blood keeps pouring out). Zane moans loudly this time and a strangled sobs escapes Jo's lips._

_"Jo, Jo, hey." Zane's fingers brush her check and cup the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. His beautiful face wavers as her eyes fill with tears (damn this man, Jo Lupo doesn't cry). "Hey. Look at me." Zane says, softly rubbing her cheek with his thumb. Jo brushes a hand across her cheek to wipe away her tears. A small smile ghosts across his face. "Marry me." he says. Great, the blood loss must have impaired his judgement. She doesn't have time for this._

_"Now's not the time for jokes Zane." She huffs._

_"Josephina." She stills at the use of her full name. He absentmindedly brushes back a lock of hair that had the audacity to escape from her bun. "That's what today was about. I was going to propose." He weakly lifts one shoulder. "Best laid plans, huh?"_

_Jo presses a kiss to the palm that was cupping her cheek. "You're not going to die." She says with all the conviction she can muster._

_"That's not…" Zane sighs and rolls his eyes. "I'm serious."_

_"No you're not." Jo doesn't believe him. She's actual a little worried that he's going into shock. A person's mental state can be affected by blood loss, right?_

_"Yes I am. Marry me." Zane's breathing starts to become erratic. If only he would stop talking._  
><em>"Zane."<em>

_"Marry me."_

_"Now's not – "_

_"Marry me."_

_"It's just the blood loss talking!"_

_"Marry. Me."_

_"Zane!"_

_"Marry me!"_

_"Oh for Christsake Zane, fine I'll marry you!" Jo shouts. Maybe if she goes along with this he'll shut up and stay still._  
><em>"Finally." D'Alembert mutters.<em>

_Zane smiles a self-satisfied grin (it's a shadow of its former self). "You didn't have to beg." He says._

_"Why you – " Jo's about to smack him when his entire body tenses up in pain. She leans over and presses a light kiss on his forehead hoping that somehow that small act will let him know how much she loves him. His eyelids flutter for a moment before he passes out, his face losing all of the sparkle and joyeux de vie that makes Zane Zane._

_The rest of Jo's night doesn't get much better. She spends it in a state of anxiety and worry, certain that every time any door opens it's someone coming to tell her Zane died. D'Alembert brings her a change of clothes and Jo has a quiet breakdown in the bathroom as she tries to wash the (his) blood off her hands. Eleanor calls and offers to drive down but this suggestion fills Jo with unbridled hatred at her sister-from-another-mister that ELLIE'S boyfriend is safe at home while Jo's is lying on a cold slab of metal. She knows this is unreasonable, especially considering that Ellie's boyfriend is Jo's brother Marcus and Ellie has certainly spent her time as the worried girlfriend, but it takes all of Jo's self-restraint to not beat the phone against the table while screaming curse words. She eventually settles herself down for the night in a hard plastic chair in his room, but every time she closes her eyes her mind is filled with gunshots and blood and pale clammy skin._

_So when she wakes up the next morning with a crick in her neck and finds him watching her in bemusement she's not in the greatest of moods. She scrambles to his bed and, after confirming that the ache in his leg is the worst of it, she punches him hard in the chest._

_"You son of a bitch!" she yells. "Don't. You. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Again!" She puts all her fear and frustration into every hit and gets a weird sort of pleasure in watching him wince in pain._

_Zane feebly tries to block her attack. "Hey, is this any way to treat your fiancée?" he asks. (please, if she was going to kill him no one would ever find the body. She knows people)._

_Wait. Jo stops in mid-attack and gives him a worried look. Did one of her hits cause him to lose his mind or something?_

_"No, I'm not." she says._

_Zane gives her his patented 'you've got to be kidding me' face. (Why was she worried about his life again?) "Last night? You said yes." Last night? Wait a minute. Last nights events pierce through the haze of fear and sleep-deprivation._

_"Zane," Jo says. "You thought you were going to die. I'm not going to hold you to it. People say crazy things when they think they might die." She runs her fingers over his stubbly cheek. Zane rolls his eyes and pulls her fingers away._

_"I meant it." He says._

_"Seriously?" Jo asks._

_"Yes." Zane says. "Can you get my things?" Jo eyes him sceptically for a moment before grabbing a box full of Zane's crap. She's not sure where exactly he's going with this. Marriage is a big deal. They've never talked about this, any of this. Hell, they were practically living together before they had their first official date. They've never defined their relationship, it always just was. She doesn't know what she's going to do if he's serious. Zane rummages around for a minute before pulling out a box. A ring size box. Oh God, he was serious. He twirls the box between his fingers for a moment before turning her hand palm up and placing the box in it. Jo stares at it for a moment before opening it with trembling fingers. Her breath catches in her throat as a small, unassuming ring is revealed._

_Zane clears his throat. "I was going to take you to where we first met after dinner and ask propose. Remember, where I thought I was going to get lucky but you cuffed me and put me in the back seat? I was going to do things right. But I guess this is a better story for our kids huh?" He chuckles weakly. Jo's pretty sure she's not breathing. There's a big difference between wanting to go married and facing the prospect of getting married. Her brain is whirling with this sudden information yet not a single thought holds longer than a second. Zane wraps his hands around hers._

_"Hey, breathe. I mean this, I want this, the whole deal. I love you." There's a pause, then he says in a quieter voice, "Say something."_

_Jo can't take her eyes away from ring. "I don't know." she breathes._

_"Oh." Zane says. His hands drop from hers and he tries to move as far away from her as he can. She feels horrible. She doesn't want to hurt him, but this is so sudden, so out of the blue that she doesn't know what to do. She opens and closes her mouth a few times before thinking it would be better if she left. She snaps the lid of the ring box closed when she notices something. Her fingernails, specifically, and the encrusted blood still underneath them. It's ironic really, she spent the past night praying that he live and all she wants now is to get away from him, from this. Honestly, she's just tired of being scared._

_"I don't want to be her." Jo's voice is quiet, barely above a whisper, but he hears it all the same. There's a rustle as he turns over and Jo can see his fingers twitching on the bedspread._

_"You're not. You won't." Zane says. Whether it's his words or the fact that he sounds so convinced she doesn't know, but hot tears begin to roll down her cheeks._

_"You don't know!" She cries. "I don't know! I'm just so afraid of doing what she did and losing you which is ridiculous because look at what I'm doing now and – " Zane places one finger across her lips._

_"You're so cute when you get flustered." Jo responds by not-so-gently biting said finger. Zane's grin becomes even wider and his eyes sparkle mischievously. "You are not your mother." Jo starts to protest but Zane presses his finger against her lips again to stop her. "Your mother got overwhelmed and rather than looking for help she left. You would never do that, especially to your kids. You'd fight tooth and nail for them. I know you Jo, and when you want to do something you throw your whole heart into it. You would never, not in a million years, do what she did."_

_A part of Jo wants to believe him. Another part is so terrified of repeating her mom's mistakes. "How do you know we're going to be okay?"_

_Zane smiles and a piece of her heart warms at the sight of it. "Because. My life is better with you around and I'm fairly certain it's the same for you." Jo bites her lip and gives a small nod. He may be irritating, but he makes her laugh and pushes her no one else. "We're great together. If all we have is each other, we're going to be fine."_

_Jo lifts one eyebrow at that sappy speech. "If you break into 'I've got you Babe' I will have you committed to a psych ward." she says._

_"I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day*." Zane begins softly._

_Jo laughs for the first time in what seems like forever. "You're an idiot, you know that?"_

_Zane smiles. "I've got you babe." he says. The smile drops from his face and he intertwines their fingers on the hand that's not hold the box. "Marry me?"_

_Jo ducks her head and studies the ring again. A part of her still wants to run but she suppresses that feeling. It's scary, what he wants her to do, probably the scariest thing she's ever been asked to do, but the thought of losing him scares her more. The urge to run begins to subside as she realizes that she'd rather have a crappy future with him then one without. She drags her eyes away from the ring and gives him a small smile._

_"Okay."_

_"Okay?" Zane asks. When she nods he smiles so hard she's a little worried that he's going to crack his face. As he pulls her down she hears a shriek behind her followed by loud clapping. When Jo looks behind her she's confront with what seems like a hoard of people crowding in the doorway, including a couple work colleagues, several hospital staff and Ellie and Marcus. Ellie claps her hands enthusiastically and bounces on her feet while Marcus looks torn between resigned and annoyed. Jo's cheeks burn and she ducks her head, letting the few strands of hair cover her face. If this ends up on youtube she will cut a bitch._

_It takes a while, but eventually everyone leaves. There are congratulations and best wishes and Ellie secures the spot of maid of honour while Marcus whispers something to Zane that makes Zane give a semi-mocking salute in reply before Ellie pushes everyone out of the room so she can get started on buying bridal magazines (Jo's already dreading this). When the room is thankfully quiet Jo holds her hand up and watches as the ring sparkles in the harsh hospital light. It's so like them to have nothing go right. "Zane." she says. Zane hms in reply. "Why the hell didn't you just wait to ask me?"_

_Zane tightens his arms around her and presses a kiss to the top of her head. "I didn't want something to happen without you knowing how much I loved you." Jo considers this for a moment before propping herself up on one arm. The fact that he was scared too makes her love him even more. It may not have been the best proposal but she loves it all the same. She kisses him hard, putting all her relief that they have a future into it. When she pulls back she leans her head against his._

_"You're an idiot." Jo says again._

_Zane snorts. "You love me anyways."_

_"Unfortunately." She sighs before lying down once again beside him._

* * *

><p>* Slight nerdy inside joke - he's singing the wrong song.<em><br>_

_Next Chapter - Delinquent Jo and Nobel Prize winner Zane_


End file.
